


Blood Fever

by Aini_NuFire



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Hurt Lancelot (Merlin), Hurt/Comfort, Sick Lancelot, Suspense, Vampires
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-22
Updated: 2021-01-22
Packaged: 2021-03-14 06:49:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,540
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28916391
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aini_NuFire/pseuds/Aini_NuFire
Summary: While on patrol, Lancelot is bitten by a crazed man with red eyes and sharp canines. He’s worried about a contagion, but the truth behind the fever might end up being much more sinister.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 20





	Blood Fever

**Author's Note:**

> My Merlin muse is getting quite active lately. XD Thank you LadyWallace for beta reading!

Twigs snapped underfoot and the torch's flames bent and contorted against the chilled night air. Lancelot kept his senses peeled, the crunch of his fellow knights' footsteps loud in the otherwise silent wood. There had been reports of people being mauled in the forest, and so Arthur had sent the Knights of the Round Table to hunt down the dangerous creature before it killed anyone else. But there were no tracks to follow, not even near the bodies that had been discovered, their throats ripped out. Whatever beast this was, bear or wolf…or something else, they had no idea. All they knew was it hunted at night, and after several fruitless searches during the day, they had finally resigned themselves to seeking it out after dark when it was likely to be active.

The torch light of the other knights bobbed through the darkness, weaving in and out of the trees. Lancelot paused, the hairs on the back of his neck prickling. He suddenly felt as though he were being watched. Shifting slowly, he extended his torch in an arc around him, willing the faint illumination to pierce the surrounding darkness. He raised his sword in preparation of an attack. Nothing moved.

That niggling feeling wouldn't leave him, though. An icy cold slithered up his spine, drawing his head back to look up into the trees. A pair of red eyes gleamed back at him. Before he could shout the alarm, the thing dropped, landing right on top of him and sending him crashing to the ground with a startled cry. The torch got knocked out of his hand and rolled away. Lancelot found himself being straddled not by an animal, but a human. One with blazing vermillion eyes and a crazed look as he hissed and lunged with teeth bared. Lancelot still had his sword, but his attacker was in too close for him to use it, so he threw his other arm up to block the blow.

Canines sank into the flesh of his hand and he yelled. He adjusted his grip on his sword and slammed the pommel up into the guy's temple. The man made an animalistic snarl as he fell backward. Lancelot scrambled to his feet as Gwaine came charging in. The deranged man spun and launched himself at the other knight, tackling him to the ground. Lancelot darted after them and plunged his sword into the madman's back. He arched with a pained howl and flailed his arms backward as though trying to reach the offending object. Lancelot was stunned that the strike hadn't killed him.

Gwaine rolled out from underneath the man and onto his feet. With a sweeping arc of his blade, he cut right through sinew and bone, beheading the guy in one go. That made him finally stop thrashing and collapse, dead.

Lancelot yanked his sword from the decapitated torso and stepped back, breathing heavily from the adrenaline rush.

The rest of the knights came barreling through the chaparral and looked stunned at the scene.

"Is that…?" Elyan asked.

"It seems that's who's been killing people," Gwaine huffed.

"A man?" Percival said dubiously.

"Considering he tried to go for my throat, I'd say yeah," Gwaine replied with a scowl as he toed the corpse.

"He dropped out of the trees like a…I don't know," Lancelot added. "Seemed rather inhuman to me."

"Magic maybe?" Elyan put in nervously.

"Let's not jump to conclusions," Leon reasoned. "We'll take the body back to Camelot and let Gaius examine it."

Lancelot shook his hand out and hissed.

"You all right?" Gwaine asked.

"Fine," he replied. "Tried to go for my neck too, got my hand instead." He angled the injury toward one of the torches to see it better. There were definite puncture wounds along the outer side of his hand, but they didn't look that deep.

"Have Gaius take a look at it when we get back," Leon said.

Lancelot nodded absently and went to pick up the torch he'd dropped, while the others played odds or evens to decide who'd have to sacrifice their cloak to wrap the head and body for the trek back to the castle. He winced as his hand throbbed viciously. The sooner he could get it cleaned out, the better he'd feel.

The knights made their way back to Camelot and once there, Lancelot split up from the others to go see Gaius. He'd tell the court physician about the body, which could be examined in the morning. It was already getting late. Fortunately, Gaius and Merlin were still up when Lancelot knocked on their door.

"Lancelot! Did you catch the animal?" Merlin asked.

"Wasn't an animal," he said. "It was a man. Though he certainly behaved like an animal when he attacked us. He's dead." Lancelot turned to Gaius. "We brought the body back if you wanted to look at it tomorrow. For now, uh, I kind of need…" he trailed off and lifted his swollen hand as explanation.

Gaius's brows furrowed as he came closer to examine the wound. "This man bit you?"

Lancelot grimaced as the physician prodded the area around the puncture wounds. "Yes."

"I see."

Lancelot's heart skipped a beat. "You don't think he was diseased and I could catch it?"

"We'll give it a good cleaning and go from there," Gaius replied neutrally.

Lancelot flicked a worried look at Merlin, who couldn't conceal his concern like Gaius could. But Merlin did force out an attempt at an encouraging smile as he pulled out the bench for Lancelot to take a seat.

Lancelot endured the thorough cleaning with gritted teeth. Gaius used soap and water, and then followed up with wine for good measure. By the time his hand was bandaged, it felt like it was on fire.

"Come see me in the morning," Gaius instructed.

Lancelot nodded mutely and headed out. He briefly thought about tracking the other knights down and checking in with them, but he was exhausted, and he didn't really want to answer any questions about his wound, especially since he didn't even have anything definitive to say about it. So he went directly to his chambers to try to sleep. But his dreams were plagued with red eyes and feral screams, and when he woke in the morning, he didn't feel rested at all.

His hand still throbbed and he picked at the edge of the bandage, worried about what he might see underneath. He wrenched himself away and forced himself to just go straight to Gaius. Except, neither the court physician nor Merlin were there when he arrived. Lancelot debated what to do. Normally he'd go give his report to Arthur, but he was on edge about the bite wound and wanted to make sure it was okay. So he waited.

Gaius and Merlin returned within half an hour.

"Lancelot," Merlin greeted. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine," he said awkwardly.

"That's good to hear," Gaius replied. "We were just examining the body you all brought back."

Lancelot straightened. "And?"

"Well, there wasn't much I could definitively diagnose," Gaius hedged. "There were some curious things about the body."

Lancelot swallowed hard. "Contagious things?"

"Not necessarily. His canine teeth were unusually pointed, and his eyes red. Likely the blood vessels had burst and colored them that way," Gaius explained. He shuffled over to his table and took a seat, then beckoned for Lancelot to come over.

Lancelot walked closer and sat next to him, holding himself stiffly as Gaius unwrapped the bandage to check his hand.

The physician hummed ruminatively. "No signs of infection."

"That's good," Merlin piped in.

"But can you be sure?" Lancelot pressed.

Gaius tossed the dirty bandage aside and grabbed a new one to rewrap Lancelot's hand. "I'll make you an herbal tonic to be safe, but so far I see no evidence of a contagion."

"Then what was wrong with the man to make him act that way? Was it…magic?" Lancelot asked, echoing Elyan's question from the night before.

Gaius pursed his mouth. "I don't know what form of sorcery could turn a man into that, but I suppose it's possible."

"Arthur's not going to like that," Merlin commented.

"It's all supposition at this point anyway." Gaius stood up and went to his shelves to begin mixing up a tonic.

Merlin sat down next to Lancelot. "You sure you're okay?" he asked quietly.

Lancelot shrugged. "If Gaius says I am." He flexed his hand, wincing as the movement pulled on the wounds, but aside from the expected pain, nothing else seemed _wrong_ with it.

Gaius gave him the tonic and Lancelot took a small sip as directed. He then left to track down Arthur so he could finally give his report. He caught the King in the halls outside the council chambers.

"Lancelot," Arthur greeted. "Are you all right?"

"Fine," he said. "I wanted to give you my report of last night."

Arthur waved him off. "Leon did. Good work catching the culprit behind the murders."

"Are we sure that man was behind them?"

Arthur quirked a brow. "How could he not be?"

Lancelot shrugged. "Just being cautious, I guess."

"Well, there were no new reports of missing people or maulings last night, so I think the people of Camelot are safe once more." Arthur gave him a considering look. "You up to training this afternoon?"

"Of course," Lancelot readily assured him.

Arthur smiled. "Good. Then I'll see you there."

No rest for the Knights of Camelot.

Lancelot idled away the remainder of the morning hours. He was feeling fatigued yet restless. He went by the chamber where the body from last night had been deposited. The decapitated corpse unnerved him, especially since the young man's eyes were frozen open in that expression of feral madness. In the light of day, the corpse's pallor was starkly pale, more so than just the tint of death. Lancelot rubbed at his hand.

He was feeling a little woozy by the time he headed out to the field to join the others for training, but he pushed the discomfort aside and focused on his duel with Elyan. The steady impact, clang, and vibration of colliding steel sang in his ears. He swung harder, bearing down on his opponent, the drive to conquer coursing through his blood, quickening it with a burning fire.

Elyan staggered backward under the relentless blows, his expression a mixture of surprise and determination to hold his ground. Lancelot surged forward, catching his prey's blade and twisting it out of his hand. He hooked his foot around his opponent's leg and knocked it out, sending Elyan falling backward to hit the ground hard. Lancelot followed through with his blade, stopping a bare breadth's from the pulse point jumping in Elyan's throat. Elyan stared up at him, eyes wide.

"Lancelot!" Arthur's voice yelled sharply.

He blinked, the roar in his ears petering out and being replaced with the sound of clanking armor as the other knights came jogging over. He stumbled back a step.

"What's your problem?" Elyan growled as he rolled out from under the sword and scrambled to his feet.

Lancelot's heart was pounding, the sound much too loud. "I-I'm sorry," he stammered, stunned by what had just happened. Letting his sword drop to the ground, he turned and fled.

He went to his chambers and slammed the door shut, then slumped against it, shaking. His stomach roiled. He had no idea what had come over him out there. Was it…did it have something to do with the bite? With trembling fingers, he pulled out the tonic and downed two whole gulps. The bitter liquid sloshed in his stomach, making it churn even more. He clawed at the bandage and ripped it off, but the bite wound looked the same as that morning.

Lancelot dropped his head back against the door. Maybe he just needed more rest.

_Or maybe there was something wrong with him_.

He shuddered.

A knock sounding on the door at his back startled him so badly he jolted. Taking a few deep breaths to compose himself, he turned and opened the door. Gwaine was on the other side. He must have drawn the short straw to come after him after that appalling display of savagery on the training field.

"Hey," the knight said. "You all right, mate?"

Not one to mince words, Gwaine.

"You mean am I going mad like that man in the woods?"

Gwaine shrugged.

Lancelot moved away from the door and ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know what came over me. I'm ashamed by my behavior. I will apologize to Elyan again in the morning."

"I'm sure it's already forgotten."

"Then you wouldn't be here checking up on me."

Gwaine's lips twitched. "Fair point. Still, you sure you're feeling okay?"

No, he wasn't. He was hot and flushed and his stomach kept cramping. But he found himself merely nodding and saying, "Fine. Maybe a little paranoid about this." He held up his injured hand.

Gwaine rocked back and forth on his heels, looking awkward. "Well, get some rest, then."

"I will."

Gwaine waited another beat, then turned and left, closing the door behind him.

Lancelot folded forward with another shudder. He just needed to rest, like Gwaine said. He was worn enough that sleep should come easy that night.

But the moment it did, he dreamed of darkness and splashes of crimson, and a voice calling out to him from the void. It didn't say his name, but he could _feel_ it pulling at his mind, urging him to come to it.

He woke the next morning wracked with chills and feeling absolutely wretched. He looked frantically at his hand again, as though it could offer answers to his state. But if there was something truly wrong with him, it went deeper than those puncture marks. He could feel it, twisting and contorting inside him. He reached blindly for the tonic he'd left on the bedside table and almost knocked it on the floor. But the moment he rescued it and clutched at it desperately, his stomach rebelled at the thought of drinking it. Lancelot opened the vial and the herbal smell hit his nostrils with a pungent odor that nearly made him sick. He capped the vial and set it back on the stand.

A knock sounded at his door, rattling inside his skull like a gong. Whoever it was didn't wait for his response before pushing their way in. It was Merlin. He smiled brightly as he brought in a tray of food.

"Hey, are you feeling better this morning?"

"Better if people would stop asking me that."

Merlin faltered. "Uh, okay. I brought you breakfast."

Lancelot climbed out of bed and went to put on his clothes. "I'm not hungry."

"I heard you didn't eat last night."

"I wasn't hungry then, either."

He shrugged his shirt of chainmail on and turned to find Merlin looking at him in concern.

"Maybe we should go see Gaius," Merlin suggested.

"Why?" Lancelot snapped. "Gaius doesn't have anything else to offer me, does he? So you all should leave me alone."

"Lancelot—"

He pushed past Merlin and stormed out of his own room, desperate to get away from those prying gazes and pestering questions. He made it all the way to the south wing before stumbling to a stop in a secluded alcove, overwhelmed with shame at his behavior. He couldn't explain why he'd reacted like that; he would never snap at Merlin.

His stomach cramped and his body bent double as it was wracked with shivers. If he was sick, and there was nothing that could be done for him as Gaius had implied, then he needed to get away from here, before he went mad and hurt one of his friends through something more than harsh words.

That voice from his dreams echoed through his mind, calling to him once again. The soft susurration drew his gaze up and out the window to the woods. He could feel it pulling at him, insistent, unrelenting. He tried to shake it off. Deep down, Lancelot knew something was wrong and he should go back and get Merlin.

But crippling sickness swept through his body once more, and that beckoning voice promised relief if he would only respond to its call.

.o.0.o.

Merlin plopped himself down at Gaius's work table and opened the first book from the pile he'd collected. He was very worried about Lancelot. The knight's erratic behavior was especially cause for concern given he'd been bitten by a crazed man who'd mauled people like a wild animal. Merlin knew from Gaius the likelihood of being able to treat a disease like that, but he couldn't just sit back and watch his friend descend into madness. He had to try to find a cure. Even if it was a magical one.

The door creaked open as Gaius entered. The physician arched a brow at the pile of books. "What's all this?"

"I think Lancelot might be sick with whatever that man in the woods had," Merlin replied. "I'm looking for anything that can help."

"Where is he now?"

"I don't know, he ran off when I brought him breakfast this morning. He looked…ill."

Gaius sighed. "I was hoping it wouldn't come to this."

Merlin leaned forward over the books. "There has to be a way to help him," he insisted.

Gaius picked up one of the magical tomes and gave him a pointed look.

Merlin gave him a staunch glare in return. "Whatever it takes."

Gaius merely slid into the seat across from him, then opened the very book he'd picked up and began skimming it. Merlin smiled in relief; he should have known Gaius would help.

Yet after a few hours, they had nothing.

"I can't find anything remotely similar to what the knights described in the woods," Merlin lamented, slamming his recent book shut.

"I believe I have," Gaius replied, eyes narrowed on the volume he was reading. He set it down and turned it toward Merlin. "This describes a creature called a vampyre. It feeds on the blood of humans and animals."

Merlin's brows rose sharply at the image depicted in the book—a ghastly human-like figure with fangs plunged into a victim's neck. "So it's magic?"

"Dark magic. The vampyre is neither alive nor dead. Its soul is twisted into evil when it becomes undead."

Merlin felt a prickle of dread down his spine. "Becomes?"

Gaius nodded grimly. "It says here a human can be turned into a vampyre by its bite."

They both shared a grave look at that.

"Do you think that could be happening to Lancelot?"

"I would say it all fits." Gaius turned the book back to himself and read further. "But the process isn't complete unless he drinks the vampyre's blood in return."

"And that creature is dead, so he can't change," Merlin said earnestly.

Gaius shook his head. "The transformation begins with the bite but needs the blood to finish. Without that, the incomplete process will kill him."

Merlin reeled back. "There has to be a way to save him."

Gaius nodded absently as he read on. "Ah, yes, there is a cure. I can begin work on it immediately."

"I'll get Lancelot." Merlin jumped to his feet and bolted out of the room in search of his friend.

But he couldn't find Lancelot anywhere in the castle. He hadn't gone back to his room and he wasn't in the common room, nor the stables. Merlin was getting frantic with worry, and was so rushed that he rounded a corner and barreled into Gwen.

"Merlin!" she chided lightly. "What's your hurry?"

"Sorry," he gushed. "I need to find Lancelot."

She frowned. "Oh, I saw him leave the castle earlier."

Merlin whirled toward her. "What? Where did he go?"

"I don't know… Is everything all right? Merlin!"

He ignored her as he burst into a run toward the citadel gate, scanning the area for a head of dark hair and the red cloak of a knight of Camelot.

"Merlin," Gwaine's voice called out. "Everything all right?"

Merlin turned as the knight and Elyan made their way over. "No, Lancelot's been infected by that thing that bit him. Gaius found a cure but I can't find Lancelot anywhere. Gwen says he left the castle."

The two knights exchanged alarmed looks at that.

"Where would he go?" Gwaine asked.

"I don't know, he's not thinking straight!"

"Maybe he went to the woods?" Elyan suggested.

It was as good a guess as any.

"We'll need horses," Merlin said, turning to march back toward the stable.

"I'll get the others," Elyan said.

"There's no time!" Merlin exclaimed. "We have to find him now!"

He'd remember to be grateful later that neither Gwaine nor Elyan questioned him, but with a shared glance of resolution, followed him to the stables to saddle their horses and head off after their friend.

.o.0.o.

Lancelot stumbled through the woods, following that intangible call resounding in his head. He was hot and freezing by turns, his insides twisting in on themselves. His body felt on the verge of collapse, but he kept staggering along, an inexplicable compulsion keeping him on his feet.

He came upon a cave, and the chorus in his head sang louder. Feet dragging, he slogged into the dark interior. He was both surprised and not to find a crude dwelling within. Torches ensconced in the rock walls sent orange light bending and writhing over the rough edges. Piles of bones lay along the base of the walls. Lancelot blinked, the all-consuming drive that had brought him here suddenly dimmed to a quiet simmer.

Movement in his peripheral vision made him flinch as a figure glided out from a back passageway. She wore a gown of velvety black and wine red that both clung to her shape and trailed behind her. Ruby red lips and eyes stood out starkly in a porcelain white face, and hair the color of ebony was pulled back in an elaborate weave that draped over one shoulder.

"Hello, my child," she greeted, voice sultry.

Lancelot shivered. "Who are you?"

"Your savior," she replied, stalking closer.

Lancelot inched away, clinging to the wall for support. "What's happening to me?" he gasped, the pain crippling now.

She gave him a simpering moue. "One of my children bit you." Her gaze flicked down to his hand, unbandaged.

Nausea roiled in his stomach.

The woman circled closer, giving him an appraising look up and down. "Normally I would kill my acolyte for such a foolish transgression. But I already know you did that for me. And…you are very pleasing," she purred. "A knight. The other one was weak, unable to control himself. But you are strong. You will make a wonderful addition to my coven. Perhaps even my mate."

Bile rose in the back of his throat. He didn't understand half of what she was saying, but his instincts didn't like it.

"You need only complete your transformation," she went on.

"What do you mean?" he gritted out.

Her lips curved upward. "Become a creature of the night." Then her lips drew back with a snarl, baring glinting fangs.

Lancelot jolted in horror, but he found his body unwilling to move beyond that, unwilling to fight or run. He could only stand there as she came to stand directly in front of him. She raised a sharply filed fingernail to her breast and carved a thin scratch across it. Blood trickled out, the metallic tang hitting the back of Lancelot's throat and making him almost gag.

"You need only drink, and then you will feel better," she crooned, reaching a hand out to cup the back of his head like a gentle lover.

Lancelot tried to jerk away, but he was shaking so badly and his limbs wouldn't cooperate. He was paralyzed as she drew his head down, angling his parched lips toward her breast. Inside he was screaming _no_ but the pain fisted in his organs and twisted them. He couldn't move.

"Lancelot, no!" Merlin's voice shattered the trance.

The woman jerked her head to the side and hissed. Lancelot blinked as Merlin, Gwaine, and Elyan came charging into the cavern. The two knights immediately drew their swords and attacked. As the woman wrenched away from Lancelot, his legs turned to sludge and he slumped on the ground. He watched his friends swing their swords at the woman. She ducked one blow with unnatural speed. The second stabbed her in the stomach, but she didn't seem to care, just like the man in the woods. She backhanded Elyan and sent him flying, then spun and slammed a palm into Gwaine's chest, propelling him back into the wall.

The knights quickly scrambled to their feet and went for their swords again. The woman or creature or whatever she was grinned maliciously, then flung her arms up toward the ceiling. A swarm of bats suddenly descended on the knights, squealing and flapping. Gwaine and Elyan yelled as they tried to slap them away and protect their faces from the vicious claws.

Merlin ran up to Lancelot and yanked a torch off the wall above him, which he then brandished at the woman.

She smirked. "You little worm. You have no idea what you're dealing with."

Merlin's gaze was like flint. "I think I do." He lowered his chin and uttered a spell. His eyes flared amber, and the fire on the torch surged outward in a column that struck the woman in the chest and lit her up like an inferno.

She screamed and flailed her arms, but the flames quickly enveloped her. The bats began to screech and burst into flames, falling like burning embers to the ground. Gwaine and Elyan staggered out from under the raining carcasses just as the fire finished consuming the woman, leaving nothing but a blackened, shriveled husk.

The knights stared in bewilderment.

"What was that?" Gwaine exclaimed.

Merlin shrugged. "She must have been really flammable."

Lancelot groaned and closed his eyes, his body feeling like it was burning up, just like those bats.

"Lancelot!" Merlin yelled.

Hands grabbed his shoulders.

"We need to get him back to Gaius."

More hands were grabbing at him, but darkness finally swept in and blacked everything out.

.o.0.o.

Merlin slammed the door to Gaius's chambers open and scrambled inside. Gwaine followed, Lancelot limp in his arms, with Elyan on his heels.

"Is it ready, Gaius?" Merlin asked urgently as Gwaine laid their unconscious friend on the cot.

"Yes." Gaius hurried forward and knelt next to the cot, one hand cupping the back of Lancelot's head while the other tipped a cup of liquid toward his mouth. "You may want to tie him down as a precaution."

"What, why?" Elyan exclaimed.

"The antidote to the vampyre poison is a mixture of herbs and blessed water. The accounts describe it as a very unpleasant clash in the mortal body."

Merlin shared an alarmed look with the knights, but he trusted Gaius, so he darted over to the cabinets to rifle around for some bandages they could use.

Lancelot was as still and pale as death as they tied his wrists and ankles to the cot. Which was not a moment too soon as the cure finally hit his system. Lancelot's eyes snapped open and his back arched. A horrible, tortured scream tore from his throat and he began to thrash. Gwaine and Elyan leaped in to help hold him down.

"Gaius," Gwaine grunted.

"We have to let the antidote work," the physician said sagely, even as Lancelot continued to writhe and scream. His eyes may have been blown wide, but they were unseeing.

Merlin wished there was a spell he could cast to ease his suffering, but he'd gotten lucky with the bats distracting Gwaine and Elyan in the cave. He doubted he'd get away with something in close quarters here.

But Lancelot's guttural cries and sobs twisted his heart.

"Are you sure we're not killing him?" Elyan shouted over the noise.

"The vampyre venom was killing him already," Gaius replied, still managing to maintain an even tone despite the horror of what was going on.

Merlin joined the others in trying to hold Lancelot down as he struggled, lost in his torment. It seemed to go on forever, but finally Lancelot's fits ceased abruptly and he fell limp, eyes sliding closed. He looked utterly wrecked, and Merlin held his breath in fear as Gaius checked his vitals.

"His pulse and breathing are weak but steady," Gaius announced. "I do believe he's past the worst of it."

They all staggered back a step in exhausted relief.

"No doubt someone in the castle heard all that," Gwaine said. "What are we going to tell Arthur? I don't think he's going to like hearing Lancelot was almost turned into a dark creature of magic."

"We could just tell him Lancelot's wound became infected, but he'll be fine now."

Gwaine just gave Merlin a serious look. "Will he?"

Merlin looked to Gaius.

"We'll have to wait and see," the physician said noncommittally and began to remove the restraints.

Arthur, indeed, came bursting into Gaius's chambers not much later, having been alerted that someone had been brought in screaming in agony. He was stunned to see it was Lancelot.

Gaius followed Merlin's suggestion and reported that the knight's bite wound had become infected, but he'd given Lancelot some treatment that had likely cleared it up. Neither Gwaine nor Elyan contradicted him. They did continue to stick around after Arthur had left. Knowing the truth of what had really happened, they were all anxious to see whether Lancelot had been saved or not.

Gaius's chambers were quiet as they all sat around waiting, so when Lancelot finally woke with a groan, it alerted all of them and they crowded around the cot. Lancelot blinked groggily, eyes clouded with confusion.

"Wh-what happened?" he croaked, voice raw.

"What's the last thing you remember?" Gaius asked, sitting on the edge of the cot and taking Lancelot's wrist to measure the beats of his pulse.

Lancelot's brows knitted together. "A woman…I think. Fire." His eyelids fluttered and he shifted his gaze to Gwaine and Elyan. "You were there too, I think."

"Aye, mate, saved your hide at the last possible second."

"Do you remember why you went out to the woods?" Gaius asked neutrally.

Lancelot squinted. "I…I felt this strange call. It was like I couldn't stop myself."

"And do you feel that now?"

Lancelot was silent for a few moments. "No."

Gaius nodded and set his wrist back down, giving it a pat. "Well, it's a bit soon, but I'm comfortable saying you're no longer under the vampyre's thrall. Your fever has broken."

"Vampyre?" he repeated.

"That's what the man who bit you was," Merlin explained. "And the woman in the cave. Seems like she was a queen."

"Were you really going to drink her blood?" Elyan asked, face scrunching up in disgust.

Lancelot paled, which was rather alarming given his already waxen complexion. "I didn't want to, but I couldn't stop myself. I didn't even know what I was doing." He grimaced. "I'm sorry about the training field. I went too far."

"You weren't yourself," Elyan said with an understanding smile. "We're just glad you're back now, if Gaius is right about that."

Said physician harrumphed indignantly.

"Thanks for coming after me," Lancelot whispered.

"Of course, mate," Gwaine said. "Also, ah, we're not going to tell Arthur about this."

Lancelot frowned. "Shouldn't he know?"

"Nah," Merlin put in. "There's a lot Arthur doesn't know and he's better for it." He gave Lancelot a sly grin. "Besides, it's over, and with the queen dead, we shouldn't be having any more of this kind of trouble."

Gwaine snorted. "I certainly hope so. But I think Elyan and I will go burn that other fellow before we can test that undead thing."

Merlin cringed. "Good idea."

The knights nodded to Lancelot before heading out.

Merlin grabbed a cup of water and helped his friend drink some.

"I'm sorry for how I spoke to you as well," Lancelot said softly.

Merlin smiled. "It's fine. Like Elyan said, we all know you weren't yourself."

"That doesn't make it right."

"But if you hadn't spoken to me that way, I wouldn't have known something was wrong," Merlin insisted. "So it worked out for the best."

Lancelot sighed, but a wan smile was tugging at his lips. "Thank you."

"Get some rest," he encouraged. "You've been through a hell of a day."

Lancelot closed his eyes, and Merlin smiled at his friend, grateful they'd been able to get him back. Lancelot was too dear to Merlin to bear the thought of losing him. He was dear to all the Knights of the Round Table. And Arthur.

Maybe they'd tell their King the truth one day. About a lot of things. But in the meantime, what Arthur didn't know wouldn't hurt him. And Lancelot was going to be just fine.


End file.
